Ryanair this week announced a partnership with Air Europa that will allow passengers book transatlantic Air Europa flights on the Ryanair website. Some 20 long-haul routes from Madrid to 16 countries in North and South America are included.
Norwegian boss Bjorn Kjos said last month he was confident a deal between his airline and Ryanair to fly passengers from Europe to the US could be reached.
A spokesperson for Norwegian said the deal with Air Europa had no bearing on its potential relationship with Ryanair and that its own negotiations with Ryanair, as well as other carriers, would continue.
He said: “We welcome any initiatives that give customers lower fares and greater choice so discussions are continuing with Ryanair and other airlines about co-operating on smooth and affordable transfers between flights. In the meantime, Norwegian’s own large, growing network is also creating strong links between long-haul and short-haul routes.”
Norwegian will operate the first transatlantic flight from Cork Airport in July. Following a protracted battle with the US Department of Transport, Norwegian was given a licence to fly from Cork to Providence in Rhode Island, as well as Dublin, Shannon and Belfast to Providence and New York.
Norwegian has also launched a promotion for €99 one-way flights to and from the US .